


Doesn't Like Apples

by Auto Maiden (STRONGtype)



Category: No Thank You - Fandom, nty!!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-17
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-23 09:38:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3763291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STRONGtype/pseuds/Auto%20Maiden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Living in such a cruel world is hard, but it's harder when you're stuck with someone you love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Doesn't Like Apples

**Author's Note:**

> A quick warm-up drabble I did. Really spoilery, so read with caution if you haven't finished the game yet. MAJOR "No, Thank You!!!" spoilers, especially for Kouichi's route.

“My dad doesn’t like apples.”  
“What?”  
“My dad doesn’t like apples.”  
You heard him the first time. You weren’t asking for him to repeat his statement. It was a rhetorical question. You’re told you’re stupid, you think, but you’re not deaf. If it had been anybody else, maybe you would have been a little pissed but it’s Hiroki, and the way Hiroki’s eyes light up when he speaks to you dissolves any semblance of irritation.  
You sigh. Alright, fine. You’ll acknowledge this random-ass fact. Today you’re not in the mood, but it’s Hiroki. You can be patient for Hiroki. “Why?”  
Hiroki hugs his knees to his chest. Now he looks shy. It’s dark in here but his blush is like a lighthouse in this room. He hesitates. You watch the whites of his eyes as his gaze shifts away from you. “… I don’t know.” Pause. He draws in a breath, like he remembered something. “I don’t remember. I think he said he didn’t like the flavor.”  
You grant him a laugh. That’s so like Hiroki, bringing up something so irrelevant just to try and lighten the mood.  
Yeah. Nice try.  
“It’s pretty weird to hate apples,” you say. You watch Hiroki’s head bob as he nods. His smile has returned and yours does too. Damn that Hiroki, always making you smile.  
“███, what do you hate?” This conversation has taken a turn you don’t like.  
You kind of hate Hiroki.  
You kind of wish Hiroki would die.  
You kind of love Hiroki, and you hate him for it. Loving anyone in this god-abandoned place makes it hard to detach.  
There’s no way you can say any of this.  
“I hate socks.” It’s been a while since you’ve worn socks, but you can sense discomfort just talking about it, as if you’re putting one on now. You shudder while Hiroki laughs. His laugh makes the room glow. You want to wrap your hands around his throat and squeeze.  
“It’s pretty weird to hate socks.” Hiroki imitates you. Just like that, you’re smiling again. Goddammit.  
“What do you hate, Hiroki?” There’s no harm in shooting the question right back at him. He’s not smiling anymore.  
He seems smaller now. The room seems darker. He slumps. “I hate it here, ███”  
You want that smile back. He had no right to take it from you.  
“At least I’m here,” you offer. Hiroki looks up and you can vaguely make out the dimples that form on his cheeks as he grins. You want to kiss those cheeks. Dammit, Hiroki’s too cute. “And you’re here with me. So we’re not alone.”  
That’s what makes this place a hell, Hiroki.  
Because.  
Because you know that Hiroki is not going to be here much longer. Every day is a torture waiting for that heavy door to open and Hiroki to disappear through it. You struggle to remember much at all, but you know that Hiroki has been here for too long.  
No one is here for too long.  
It seems so cold now. Hiroki seems so cold, so distant.  
You wish you could say that you loved Hiroki, but the words stick to your mouth like peanut butter. Have you ever tried peanut butter? You don’t remember. Maybe that’s just an expression you heard some time ago.  
“… Don’t worry, ███.” It seems like forever before Hiroki speaks again. His voice makes you jump. “My dad’s a police officer. He catches bad guys and protects everyone. That’s why I know he’s going to come and save us.”  
He sure says that a lot, that Hiroki.  
You respond the same way you do every time. A strained smile. A painfully upbeat tone. “Yeah.”  
Your memory jumps.  
Someone is crying in the dark.  
You gently stroke the head of the person sobbing in your lap.  
He must be in pain. He must be suffering. He must be terrified.  
You wish you can ease the pain, but there’s nothing you can do.  
You must prioritize your own survival.  
You’re sure Hiroki understands. 

 ----

“… What?”  
The air smells like smoke. There are fireworks popping here and there and it makes Hiroki’s face illuminate. He’s handsome. You want to kiss his cheeks.  
He’s not Hiroki. Hiroki is dead. You’re at the festival.  
You stare straight into the face of Kouichi. You see Hiroki in him: dark hair, blue eyes that possess a sort of sadness to them, and a smile that makes the entire room shine.  
But he’s not smiling now.  
You want that smile back. He had no right to take it from you.  
You had no right to take Hiroki’s from him.  
“Haru, how do you know I don’t like apples?”  
Shit. That was potentially a huge fuck-up. You struggle to cover yourself.  
“How do I know that?” You tap your index finger against your jaw in faux-thought. “I guess someone mentioned it?”  
Kouichi inhales sharply but noticeably relaxes. Good. He bought it. You beam.  
“But it’s pretty weird to hate apples.”


End file.
